


Like a stone the ocean beats against

by coldflashwavebaby



Series: DCTV Disney Week 2017 [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Atlantis: The Lost Empire Fusion, DCTV Disney Week 2017, M/M, Prince Barry, flashvibe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 05:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11594004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldflashwavebaby/pseuds/coldflashwavebaby
Summary: “I…I’m sorry, Barry. I wish I could help.”The prince raised his head hopefully. “That’s why I brought you here. You can read Atlantean. You can help me find a way to stop all this.”





	Like a stone the ocean beats against

            The fireflies danced and fluttered around the pond, skimming gracefully over the surface of the water and through the leaves on the trees.

            Cisco flinched warily as one landed on his arm, flashbacks of the fire at the campsite fresh in his mind. Instead of leaving flames, though, it nuzzled him.

            “Y’know, these things are sort of cute when they aren’t torching your campsite, sending you plunging into the heart of a dormant volcano.”

            Barry grinned at him, cupping his hand around the bug to catch it. He carried it over to a glass sphere hanging from a wooden pole. He opened a section of it and released the firefly inside, closing it quickly behind it.

            The orb lit up brightly, and Cisco laughed. A torch. They used the fireflies as a light source. “When I was told I was coming here,” he smiled brightly, “I expected ruins, shattered pottery, you know, the usual excavation stuff. But to find an entire, thriving civilization here, with living people…”

            Barry snorted, his eyes boring into the light in his hand. “We aren’t thriving. I mean, we’re alive. Our land survived destruction, but our culture is dying. We were once great scientists, scholars, educators. Now, we’ve forgotten how to read, how to write, our own history. We are devolving.”

            The grin he’d been wearing before was gone, replaced by a solemn frown. Cisco couldn’t resist the urge to step forward and take Barry by the hand. “I…I’m sorry, Barry. I wish I could help.”

            The prince raised his head hopefully. “That’s why I brought you here. You can read Atlantean. You can help me find a way to stop all this.”

            Cisco frowned. He…wasn’t following. “What do you mean? How can reading help you save your people?”

            Barry stuck the light pole into the ground, cheerfully leaning in closer. “I found something a few years ago—a mural. I think it explains what we’re both looking for, but I couldn’t translate it. You can, though.”

            That joyful, bright look on Barry’s face was enough to put Cisco into action. He and his people needed a hero. Someone like him. He cleared his throat, straightening his back so he looked more confident. “Well, you came to the right place.” He glanced around at the walls until he found a large mural, covered in vines. He nodded. “Let’s start over here.”

            He walked over to the wall, but Barry just giggled—like, full-on giggled—before peeling his shirt off. Cisco’s jaw dropped. He hadn’t expected Barry to have abs, or to be as toned as he was.

            “Can you swim?” Barry asked, not noticing or not caring that Cisco was staring as he pulled his pants down next. Cisco turned his head away quickly, despite the undergarments that covered the prince’s privates.

            “Uh…yeah.” he choked out in response. “Yeah, I can swim pretty fine… _good._ Pretty good. Not that you aren’t pretty fine, but that wasn’t what you were asking and I’m going to shut up now.”

            Barry blushed bright red. “The mural is underwater, about two kilometers. Do you think you can make it?”

            Cisco scoffed in fake offense as he took off his own shirt and pants. “You offend me, Prince Barry.”

            He didn’t miss the way Barry’s eyes traced his bare torso and legs appreciatively. “Good.” The prince stepped into the water. He held out a hand, which Cisco took eagerly. “Take a deep breath. It’s a long swim.” They both held their breath as they dived into the water.

            At first, it was too cloudy for Cisco to see much. Barry swam ahead, his crystal shining through the dark water as he led the way. Then, they dove down in a trench, and Cisco could see buried columns, the ruins of homes, algae covered statues. He realized it was the part of Atlantis that hadn’t been saved, where the thousands of people Barry mentioned had perished.

            Barry suddenly swam straight up. Cisco hurried after him, his lungs burning and desperate for air, when they popped up in some kind of air pocket in one of the structures.

            The prince grinned wildly. “You good?”

            Cisco nodded, still catching his breath.

            “Alright. The mural is only a few yards away. Follow me.” He inhaled deeply and dove back down, and Cisco followed.

            When Barry described the mural, Cisco hadn’t been picturing something quite as extensive and detailed as what Barry led him to. It was the complete history of Atlantis, describing everything from its creation to the days leading up to its fall into the ocean. It was amazing!

            Then, his eyes caught it. He pulled Barry’s arm, bringing the light of his crystal further out so that he could see the image better.

            It was a painting of stone sentries, arms held out with great, blue shields between their hands. A light source of some kind was painted above them. Cisco swam for the inscription around it.

            His heart leapt as he took in the words. He swam for the air pocket, motioning for Barry to follow.

            “THE HEART OF ATLANTIS!” he exclaimed once his head popped out of the water. Barry tilted his head, confused.

            “I don’t know what that means.”

            “The light you remember—the bright star above the city the day your parents died—Barry, it’s the same thing I’ve been looking for! It’s a crystal, like…” He grabbed Barry’s crystal and held it up between them. “Like these.”

            Barry took his crystal in his own hands and examined it. “I…don’t understand. How can that be true?”

            “I don’t know.” Cisco shrugged. “According to the mural, that’s what’s kept the city and all of you alive all these years. It’s why you aren’t an old man. These crystals are protecting you.”

            Barry gnawed on his lip. “Okay…if that’s true, where is this bigger crystal now?”

            Wasn’t that the question. Cisco sighed. “I don’t know. The shepherd mentions a power source in the journal, but there’s nothing concrete, unless…”

            “Unless what?”

            “There’s a missing page.” Cisco realized. “The information about the crystal was on the missing page.”

            They needed to get back to the shore. Maybe the king knew something, or maybe Thawne knew something about the missing page. Either way, it was too late for him or Barry to turn back.

0000000

            When he saw Thawne standing over him as he broke the surface, he knew something was wrong.

            “Have a nice swim?”

            His eyes flickered behind his squad leader. Dahrk was to his right, a pistol in his hand and an evil smile on his face. Julian, Jax, and Hartley were further behind, all armed with rifles and pistols of their own. Even HR was armed, though he looked uncomfortable holding a weapon. The only person without a gun was Caitlin, who looked like she’d rather be anywhere else. The other members of their crew surrounded the pool, guns raised and ready to fire.

            Cisco was an idiot.

            “You’re not explorers, are you?” He spat. “You’re mercenaries. You’re here for the Heart of Atlantis.”

            Eobard clicked his tongue. “That’s a harsh word, Cisco. After all, you’re one of us. You led the way, got us in, distracted the king’s curious son for us. And now,” he pulled a piece of parchment from his belt, “you’re going to take us to the treasure.”

            Cisco’s eyes widened. It was the missing page, with a picture identical to the mural he’d just seen. His nostrils flared. “I’m not one of you. I won’t let innocent people die for money.”

            Julian, Ronnie, HR and Hartley all tensed at that, eyes flickering between each other nervously, but Thawne and Dahrk just laughed.

            “You don’t have a choice.” Dahrk pointed out. Suddenly, bubbles came up at the water beside him, surrounded by a blue light, and Cisco’s heart stopped. Barry’s head popped up beside him, a bright smile on his face. It melted when he saw Cisco’s crew.

            Before he could react, though, Thawne’s hand whipped down and twisted into Barry’s hair. The prince screamed as he was pulled forcefully out of the water by his hair. He quieted when Thawne pressed his own gun against the underneath of Barry’s chin.

            Cisco clenched his fists. “You don’t know what you’re messing with, Thawne. None of you do! You think it’s a treasure, I thought it was a power source, but it’s more than that. It’s keeping these people alive. They’ll die without it!”

            Thawne glanced over at Dahrk. “Knowing that, would you pay more or less for it?”

            “I’d pay triple the price.” The psychopath answered gleefully.

            Cisco felt sick.

            “Cisco,” Thawne sighed, “you’re going to take us to the crystal either way. Would you rather your new little friend be alive for that?”

            He could see in Barry’s eyes that he would’ve rather died than let Thawne have the crystal, but he couldn’t bring himself to let that happen. The safety on the gun clicked off.

            “Okay, okay!” Cisco held his hands up. “Don’t hurt him…I’ll help as long as you don’t hurt him…”

            Laughing, Dahrk stepped up beside him and slapped his shoulder. “Good man. Now, let’s pay the king a little visit, shall we?”

0000000

            When Julian blew open the doors of the throne room, Cisco could see the shocked expressions on Iris, Wally, and Joe’s faces.

            The crown princess picked up her spear and moved to charge them, only to freeze when she saw the position Barry was in. Thawne hadn’t so much as loosened his grip since he captured him.

            “Drop your weapons,” Thawne ordered, “or I blow his pretty little head off his neck.”

            _“Please…”_ Cisco begged. _“Please, do what he says. He’ll kill all of us if you don’t.”_

            Iris dropped the spear like it burned her, and the crew moved into the throne room, weapons raised. Julian, HR, Jax, Hartley, and Dahrk all moved around, tossing the room as they went, trying to find the crystal. Caitlin stayed at Cisco’s side, her hand comforting but firm on his shoulder.

            After a few minutes, Thawne sighed dramatically. “You know, for someone who cares about the little adopted prince, I don’t think you’re trying hard enough to help us figure out where that crystal is, Cisco.”

            He moved the gun up slowly, so it was placed right between Barry’s eyes.

            “There’s nothing else, I swear!” Cisco assured. “All it says is _the heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of her king._ ”

            Thawne pursed his lips mockingly, as though in thought. He leaned forward so he could whisper in Barry’s ear. “Maybe your daddy can help us then, princey.”

            He pushed Barry to move forward towards the throne, releasing his grip so Barry could walk on his own, but keeping the gun aimed at his back. If it were Iris or Wally, they probably could’ve disarmed him. But Barry wasn’t a trained warrior like his siblings—he was a scholar, with only basic self-defense training in a civilization without guns. His odds weren’t good.

            “How about it, ‘King Joseph’?” Thawne mocked. “Any ideas where to look?”

            _“Joe, don’t.”_ Barry said in Atlantean, but Thawne shot at the ceiling, making the young prince flinch. The king clenched his fists and jumped to his feet.

            “Let him go—what you’re after will destroy you and everything around you.”

            Thawne raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” He did move the gun, but instead of lowering it, he pointed it at the king and fired.

            Wally and Iris ran for their father’s side, Caitlin following fearfully. Barry tried to, but Eobard grabbed him by the arm and snatched him back against his chest.

            “Killing people wasn’t part of the plan, Thawne!” Caitlin shouted, ripping off her jacket to press against the king’s wound.

Thawne rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you apply pressure to that bleeding heart of yours, Dr. Snow?” he scoffed. “Now, your majesty, tell me, before I put a put one of those in the prince—where is the crystal chamber?”

Joe coughed, not saying a word, but his eyes slid over to one of the pools set in the floor. A dark grin curled on Thawne’s face. “Dahrk, grab our linguist,” he ordered, dragging Barry towards the pool. Cisco didn’t wait for Dahrk to grab him. He wasn’t letting Barry out of his sight.

He followed Thawne into the pool, Dahrk right behind him with a raised gun and, together, they all stepped on what felt like a raised platform under the water. Thawne released Barry once it started moving, and the prince immediately ran into Cisco’s arms.

_“It’s okay,”_ Cisco assured him, pulling him close as the platform descended. _“I’m not going to let them hurt you.”_

0000000

The cavern they finally stopped in was huge. Most of the floor was taken up by a calm pool of water, but that wasn’t the amazing part. Hanging above the pool, by some unseen force, were half a dozen rocks—rocks that were about twenty feet tall—with faces carved on them, spinning slowly around a blue light.

The Heart of Atlantis.

Barry and Cisco were both pushed off the platform by Dahrk while Thawne practically skipped off with a laugh. “There it is. There’s our big payday.”

They all walked for the edge of the pool, but Cisco was focused on Barry, who was staring at the stones and crystal with reverence. “The kings of our past…” He fell to his knees and bowed his head, a whispered prayer falling from his lips. Cisco could only imagine how he was feeling. Barry’s mother had been the priestess of their religion, Barry taking her place after she and his father were taken by the flood. Seeing the thing he’d researched for so long, the essence he’d seen as his civilization’s salvation, had to be overwhelming for him.

Thawne wasn’t as sympathetic. He took one glance back and rolled his eyes.

            “Get him up,” he ordered Cisco. “We have business to take care of.”

            Cisco didn’t want to interrupt Barry’s prayer, but he knew that Thawne wouldn’t hesitate to shoot either of them the second they became a nuisance. As respectfully as possible, he knelt beside him and urged him up.

            “Barry, c’mon.” he whispered. “I’m sorry, but you have to get up.”

            When Barry looked up at him, Cisco’s heart shattered. His eyes were wide and sad, like he couldn’t understand why Thawne and the others were threatening them. He stood up though, his hand gripping at Cisco’s arm.

            “Alright, Linguist,” Dahrk spoke up, “what now?”

            Cisco snorted in disbelief. “Alright, there’s a giant crystal floating one-hundred-and-fifty feet above our head. Am I the only person surprised and a little freaked out about that?”

            He jumped back when Dahrk’s gun was forced into his face. “The only thing I’m ‘surprised’ about,” he snarled, “is that that giant crystal isn’t in the back of our truck right now, ready to get shipped off to auction.”

            “Now, now, Damian,” Thawne scolded gently. “I’m sure Cisco didn’t mean anything by that. After all, I’m sure he doesn’t want us to give him anymore _motivation_ to find a way to get it.”

            His finger twitched on the trigger, and he remembered the way the king had fallen. Cisco couldn’t bear the thought of Barry being next.

He opened the Shephard’s Journal with a sigh. There wasn’t much about the crystal chamber in the book, but maybe he’d overlooked something. He flipped through the pages, searching for any hint that could help. “I…I don’t see anything about it. I don’t even know _what’s_ holding it up there. The book doesn’t say.”

“Well, figure it out!” Damian growled, moving the gun out of his face and into Barry’s. Barry, though, didn’t even flinch. His eyes were locked on the crystal.

Cisco frowned. “Barry?”

But the prince didn’t respond. Suddenly, a light from the hovering crystal landed on him like a spotlight, and the one around his neck lifted, the tip pointing at the Heart like the needle of a compass. His once hazel eyes filled with blue light, and he released Cisco’s arm, stepping forwards towards the pool.

            Cisco, Thawne, and Dahrk all watched in shock and amazement as Barry stepped _on_ the water, walking with a grace that the prince hadn’t had before.

            “What’s going on, Linguist?” Dahrk asked, lowering his gun.

            Cisco flipped to the page in the journal that mentioned the crystal. “All it says is that the crystal is a power source. It’s their God, their deity. It’s alive, somehow.”

            “That doesn’t make sense.” Thawne pointed out, his eyes not leaving Barry as he continued across the water.

            Cisco threw his arms up. He was tired of Thawne’s shit. “I DON’T KNOW! I only know what the book says—it’s a part of them, and they are a part of it.” He rounded on Dahrk, who was raising his gun again. “Here’s an idea—why don’t I take the gun, and you take the journal, and we’ll see how well either of _you_ do?!”

            _Do not fear, Cisco Ramon._ Barry was standing halfway between the shore and the crystal, now turned to face them. His voice was echoed with hundreds of others, and Cisco could tell that it wasn’t really Barry talking. Something had taken control of his body. _All will be well. You will be saved._

He could feel Dahrk and Thawne’s eyes on him. “What did he say?”

            Cisco swallowed hard. “I…I don’t know. I didn’t catch it.”

            Barry turned back and continued his journey to the center of the pool. Once he was under the crystal, the stones hovering around it raised so they could all see the enormous ball of flickering, blue light above them. Barry raised his head, and suddenly, the hair on Cisco’s arms stood on end. He could _feel_ the power emanating off of the crystal.

            He gasped when Barry was pulled upwards off the water. He looked like an angel, floating weightlessly above the water, the tattoos on his body glowing along with the crystal around his neck. All Cisco could do is watch helplessly in awe and horror as Barry was pulled straight into the Heart of Atlantis, his body disappearing into the light.

            The stones lowered back around it and began spinning around the Heart, faster and faster. He only caught glimpses of Barry between them, enough to see the crystal shrinking, reforming. Then, the stones spread out, and Cisco’s heart nearly stopped.

            There was a glowing, blue figure hovering in the center where the crystal had been. Light and power flickered off of it like static electricity.

            “Barry…” He heard himself whisper.

            Then, as gracefully and as elegantly as Barry was lifted up, he was placed back down on the water, his eyes remaining closed until the second his toes hit the surface of the pool. That’s when Cisco knew Barry was gone. There was no life behind the eyes. They were blank and blue, staring into nothingness.

            He didn’t walk, so much as glide back, not even reacting as the stones fell from the above, crashing into the water around him.

            Cisco made a move towards the water, but Dahrk grabbed his shoulder with a chuckle. “Slow down there, lover boy. That’s not yours anymore.”

            When Barry was close to the shore, Cisco noticed even more differences—his skin was almost see-through, like a crystal. His hair, short as it was, moved with a non-present wind. His tattoos disappeared. The crystal around his neck was gone.

            Thawne stepped forward once Barry reached the shore, arm reached out.

            “No!” Cisco warned. “No, don’t touch him. You don’t know what it’ll do.”

0000000

            Cisco couldn’t stand watching Thawne load Barry into his truck. He knew there was nothing he could do—they would all shoot him without a second thought if he tried to stop them—but he had _promised_ to protect Barry.

            When Jax, Julian, HR, and Hartley walked past, Cisco sneered at them. At least Caitlin had refused to go with Thawne, choosing to stay at the king’s side. “So... I guess this is how it ends, huh?” He snarled. “You're wiping out an entire civilization...letting Thawne just kidnap an innocent man to sell to the highest bidder, but, hey...you'll be rich.”

            They all hung their heads, refusing to look his way, but he wasn’t done. “Jax, you’ll be able to buy that house for your mom. Julian, you can pay of all those student loans. Hartley, you can live that lavish life you miss. HR, you can do...whatever the hell it was you wanted to do with your payout. Because that’s what it’s all about, right? _The money._

Thawne had given him a good punch for his words, but Cisco didn’t care. He was betrayed and angry. He hadn’t expected Jax to rush to his side to help him up.

            “This is wrong, and you know it!” He shouted, and Julian, HR, and Hartley joined him. Thawne shook his head, disappointedly.

            “We are this close to our biggest payday, and you all choose _now_ to grow a conscience?” He scoffed. “Suit yourselves. More for the rest of us.”

            He climbed into his truck—the one with Barry—and started driving away. The moment the crystal made it to the other side of the bridge leading into the city, the lights of all the other crystals went out.

            “He can’t do this!” Cisco yelled, but, before he could run for the bridge, Julian tackled him to the ground.

            Less than a second later, the bridge exploded, leaving only burning wood and rope behind.

0000000

            The king was dying. Everyone knew it. Caitlin had removed the bullet, but there was only so much she could do without a hospital. Iris and Wally hovered over their father, not knowing what to do.

            Cisco shook his head. It was all a mess.

            “You shouldn’t blame yourself,” Caitlin comforted him. “Thawne has been after the crystal for a long time. We all should’ve known that finding out lives depended on it wouldn’t change his mind.”

            For a second, Cisco considered the crystals—Barry had used it to heal him when they first met. If they used one on the king, maybe…

            A hand grabbed his. “Cisco…” Joe croaked. “Where’s Barry? What did they…?”

            Cisco turned his head, unable to look at the king. “Thawne, he took him. It was like, when he went into the chamber…”

            “I was afraid of this,” Joe interrupted with a sigh. “Afraid that Barry would be taken, be _chosen_ , like his mother was before.”

            Iris, Wally, and Cisco all snapped to attention. _“You said that Barry’s mother died in the Great Flood.”_ Iris whispered.

            Joe nodded. “I didn’t lie. In times of crisis, the crystal chooses a host, the high priest or priestess, to protect itself and its people.”

            Cisco’s eyes widened. “That thing is _alive?_ ”

            “In a way. It thrives on the energy and emotions of our ancestors. In return, it provides power longevity, and protection. It grew a consciousness overtime. After the death of Iris and Wally’s mother, my queen, I thought that I could use its power as a weapon against our enemies.

            “But the power was too much, and it led to the destruction of Atlantis. Barry and his mother were in the palace courtyard when the crystal formed a forcefield around the inner city, but the crystal took his mother as its host. I swore to that I would protect Barry from that fate, so I hid the crystal, hoping to keep history from repeating itself.”

            “What will happen?” Cisco asked. “If we don’t get to Barry in time, what will happen?”

            Joe let out a wet cough. “If…if he doesn’t separate from the crystal soon, he will be consumed by it forever, and Barry as we know him will die.”

            Flinching in pain, the king removed his crystal. “I know how you feel about my son, and how he feels about you. Please…he may not be royal blood, but he’s my child.” He turned Cisco’s hand over and placed the crystal in his hand. “Save him. Save Atlantis. You’re the only one who knows how.”

 

 

 

             

           


End file.
